Despite a European-brokered “ceasefire,” the war in eastern Ukraine rages on. Russian separatists continue their assault on the city of Debaltseve, forcing the Ukrainian army to withdraw its troops. And yet, the U.S. State Department continues to hold out hope that the ceasefire will work. “We don’t consider it dead,” said spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “We still need time for the agreement to work through.”

But that’s not even the most outrageous aspect of the Obama administration’s position on Ukraine. This is:

State Dept on Ukraine surrender of Debaltseve: “Sovereign govt has right to make decisions about how to protect their people.”

That was Psaki’s response on Wednesday when asked whether the Russian assault on Debaltseve would be considered cause for further sanctions. In other words, the United States respects the right of a sovereign government to surrender territory when its sovereignty is violated.

I’m sure the Ukrainians (and other eastern Europeans) will take comfort in the Obama administration’s recognition of their sovereign right to cede territory to a foreign aggressor.